For centuries, the life of young folks living in Amish country was a mystery. Then a pop culture mania exploded. Romance novels that a decade ago featured vampires and werewolves not featured men with beards and women in long dresses and bonnets. Two shows were at the center of the revival. These shows were Amish Mafia on Discovery Channel and Breaking Amish on TLC. Like its predecessors, the new show Return to Amish is chock full or rumors, scandal and behind the scenes drama. Here are five juicy things you didn’t know about Return to Amish.
5. Kate’s Modeling Aspirations
When the TLC audience first met plain jane Kate Stolz no one could imagine she would take the modeling world by storm. Her practice making her own dresses as a youngster has been parlayed into her part-time career as a fashion designer. By the time she first appeared in Breaking Amish in 2012 she had already entered a modeling contest. Kate also got a DUI and it wasn’t for driving a horse and buggy in Pennsylvania Dutch country. She was in Florida and her mugshot is complete with smeared makeup. So her transformation throughout the show from modest duckling to swan was just for our entertainment.
4. Naomi Stutzman and Jeremiah Raber
The cute story of the babe is the woods young man with the baby face looking for love in the big city was heavily scripted. Jeremiah and Naomi were already together, married for six years and the parents of three kids. Naomi sued for divorce citing cruelty. She had to flee to a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Jeremiah’s mugshot from his 2005 Domestic Violence arrest can be viewed here.
3. The Show is Fake (according to several sources)
Ex-Amish bloggers and Facebook users were stunned when Jeremiah went on and on about never having a cell phone before. This 30 something so called “newbie to the modern world” has not been in the Amish community since he was 18. Other cast members had been out and about in the real world and on social media enjoying a very modern life before the show began filming. About time he took off that silly hat.
2. Shunning Hoax
Defectors from the community like Jeremiah bemoan their shunned existence. Well, if being shunned means your parents buy you a car and other modern toys of the outside world, then being shunned is a pretty sweet ride. Those who are rooting for the struggling, shunned, “trying to make it in the wicked city” group of reality stars should check out Jeremiah’s sparkling red pickup truck he had before the show, featured on his old MySpace account, http://starcasm.net/archives/176116.
1. Not Her First Amish Rodeo
Delmar Burkholder married Sabrina Lavon High in 2009. The wedding was featured on the Nat Geo show, Amish At the Altar. The show script did not mention her being married or her wedding being filmed for TV. Savvy fans have noted that she had two Twitter accounts with different names.
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